The book critically analyses questions of gender and sexuality in the medieval religious texts of Bengal. It analyses the emergence of religious cults in patriarchal contexts, the humanization of the goddess figure as a wife and mother who is subject to social and ethical codes, and demythologization of folk epics. This book discusses the folk genre of the Mangal Kavyas such as the Chandi Mangal and the Manasa Mangal, against the perspectives of Sanskrit texts like the Devi Mahatmya and the Devi Bhagavata Purana, and compares and contrasts the Kalika Purana against the texts and practices of the Tantric cult, to shed light on the paradoxes and parallels in the images of Kali found in the texts and practices dominant in the eastern region of India. The author also highlights the centrality of Chaitanya in the Gaudiya Vaishnava movement, the social and religious revolution he brought with the philosophy of raganuga bhakti along with the androgynous aspects in his relationships; explores the concept of mystical eroticism in the love of Radha and Krishna as seen in the song sequences of the Gaudiya Vaishnavas; and discusses women’s Rama-kathas found in a variety of languages across India. Rich in archival material, this book will be an essential read for scholars and researchers of gender studies, women’s studies, literature, medieval history, social history, cultural anthropology, religious studies, cultural studies, South Asia studies, and those interested in the history of medieval Bengal.

In a long-forgotten era - an age of slavery, of glorious new scientific innovations, revolutionary wonders, warrior heroes, Titans, Druids and bards, magicians, dragons and serpents, of angels and gods; an age of immortality and sacrificial death, of oppression, exploitation, social upheaval, indeed the age of the catastrophic biblical flood and, the fulcrum to social structure, of the struggle for control of the closely guarded secret and eternal wisdom of the undying Holy Elect of Paradise - in a long forgotten era, a man, just a mortal man, may have escaped his death by usurping the power of the goddess and her people to his own ends in a political coup that changed his world, and produced ours... Join Dr Michael Cahill as he explores the origins of civilisation, using information from history, archaeology, mythology, linguistics, geology, astronomy and philosophy to learn more about who we are. Paradise Rediscovered will challenge your intellect and spur your imagination, as you journey with him to uncover secrets, solve mysteries and consider the foundations that shaped our modern society and may yet change its face again. Note: This title is published as a two volume work in its physical edition, and as a complete work in its digital editions.

Creation Rediscovered, by Jeffery M. Leonard, guides readers through a contextual reading of the Bibles creation stories. Over the last two centuries, few subjects have generated as much controversy for Christians as has creation. The whethers, whens, and hows of creation have often become a battlefield in which the pitched forces of competing sidesDarwinists and creationists, young-earthers and old, figurativists and literalistshave struggled for the upper hand. Like most battles, this fight has tended to inflict a fair amount of collateral damage along the way. This is especially true for those put in the terrible position of feeling they have had to choose between the Bible they have fallen in love with and the science they have studied. In this book, Jeffery Leonard writes to fellow travelers in the faith who want to take the biblical text seriously, while at the same time appreciate sciences exploration of what we consider to be Gods creation. It is his contention that setting the Bibles creation texts back within their ancient context allows us to do both of these things. Indeed, Leonard believes that when we reread what the Bible has to say about creation in its original setting, we find meaning in the text far more profound than what we have previously imagined. Key points and features: • Written by a Bible scholar • Unique, timely, and fresh interpretation • Helps readers see the Bibles creation stories as vessels of healing and hope in Gods larger plan for humanity • Attempts to redirect Christians to read the ancient creation stories within the context in which they were written

One of Smithsonian Magazine’s Ten Best Books of the Year about Food A Forbes Best Booze Book of the Year Interweaving archaeology and science, Patrick E. McGovern tells the enthralling story of the world’s oldest alcoholic beverages and the cultures that created them. Humans invented heady concoctions, experimenting with fruits, honey, cereals, tree resins, botanicals, and more. These “liquid time capsules” carried social, medicinal, and religious significance with far-reaching consequences for our species. McGovern describes nine extreme fermented beverages of our ancestors, including the Midas Touch from Turkey and the 9000-year-old Chateau Jiahu from Neolithic China, the earliest chemically identified alcoholic drink yet discovered. For the adventuresome, homebrew interpretations of the ancient drinks are provided, with matching meal recipes.

Offers important new perspectives for reinterpreting Russian culture of the Soviet period presenting an unparalleled diversity of views and methodologies, together with two newly discovered texts by Eisenstein.

A reader of the epyllion by Dracontius, the elegy by Maximianus, and the epigram by Luxorius should not expect that these works--and these new embodiments of the 'old' genres--will be wholly identical with their 'archetypes'. Were it so, it would mean that we read but second-rate versifiers, indeed. We may expect rather that thanks to the reading of Dracontius's epyllion, Maximianus's elegy, and Luxorius's epigram our understanding of these very genres may become fuller and deeper than if it was narrowed only to the study of the 'classical phase' of the Roman literature. Therefore, I have decided to employ in the title of my book the expression genres rediscovered. I have found it fair to emphasize that the poets whose works have been studied here merit appreciation for their creativity, and indeed courage, in reusing and reinterpreting the classical--and truly classic--literary heritage. In addition, I have found it similarly fair to stress that for the students of Latin literature the borderline between the 'classical' and the 'post-classical' is, and should be, flexible. It is not my intention of course to imply that aesthetic and poetological differences should be ignored or blurred. Quite the reverse, these differences are profound and multidimensional and as such must be properly understood and explained. The main issue is the fact that studies of Latin literature--or rather of literature in general - and especially generic studies require a proper, i.e. diachronic, perspective. A description of a certain genre based merely on its most important or generally known representative/representatives will always risk becoming incomplete and limited. In genology, one must be utterly prudent in defining the 'main' and the 'marginal', the 'relevant' and the 'negligible'. In this sense, an insight into a few genres practiced by some 'classical'--and classic--Roman poets from the perspective of their 'post-classical' followers may be, also for a genologist, an intriguing rediscovery.

Three paranormal stories with a strong historical background. A trilogy of stories aimed at a youthful audience, and with strong themes of history and culture. Historically accurate and with added notes so the stories can be used in an academic context. Lively and informative to stimulate debate and discussion. Enchantment is the story of an English girl, Helen, who is shaken by strange perceptions and vibrations when touching ruins or artifacts from an ancient world. At college she meets Giulio, and the attraction, triggered by their different cultures, sparks off a sequence of events that takes place in different dimensions of time in which the present and the past, reality and dreams, overlap in a tangle of unpredictable twists. Matteo Revives. Since childhood, a successful middle-aged manager from Milan suffers from momentarily losing consciousness and being catapulted into another reality far away in time and culture. With the help of a psychologist friend, he finds out under hypnosis that he lived two hundred years before in West Bengal under another identity. Romeo and Juliet in Progress tells the experience of a Canadian professor of drama while preparing this Shakespearean tragedy featuring an international group of students at his university. The final performance will be staged in Verona. Julie, playing the role of Juliet, confesses to her teacher that she is tormented by the presence in her life of a young Italian lady executed for adultery with her lover in 1391.

What is the nature of norms and values for the constitution of human society and culture? In this groundbreaking work, T. K. Seung shows that this was the ultimate question for Plato throughout his life, and that he gave not one but two answers, thus twice inventing political philosophy as the science of all sciences. Providing a thematically unified interpretation of his dialogues on the grand scale, Seung retraces Plato's journey of invention. Plato Rediscovered extends the project Seung began in Intuition and Construction (1993) and Kant's Platonic Revolution (1994). A work that will radically alter our understanding of the philosopher.

The author covers the basic question, the two basic Evolution theories, the concept of "Special Creation," the discoveries of science, the fossil record, genetics, entropy, the age of the universe, pointers to a Creator, and a number of other questions. Not enough can be said for the importance of this book to get the fundamentals right regarding our Origins, in order that the rest of our thought and all our actions are based upon the truth.

LOSE YOURSELF IN THE BUDDHIST EXPERIENCE INDIA IS THE GUARDIAN OF a rich and ancient culture, and the seat of Buddhism. Mystic monasteries on Himalayan slopes, richly carved stupas amid lush gardens, cavernous dwellings with exquisite paintings –India is home to all these and more. In this, her seventh book, respected historian Aruna Deshpande travels the length and breadth of the country to track down the imprints of Buddhism. Never before has any historian presented every major Buddhist site located in India in one book. Here are the architectural gems of Lumbini, the lesser known Tawang Monastery of Arunachal Pradesh, the unparalleled Bodh Gaya and a reliable guide to visiting all these places. A boon to pilgrims, travelers and armchair explorers alike, Buddhist India Rediscovered will fire the imagination and carry you on a memorable journey. “A remarkably thorough catalogue of India’s Buddhist sites. Whether their interest is in history and culture or Buddhist pilgrimage, I am sure many readers will find this work of great value.” From the foreword by HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA